I Loathe the Offseason…Will it Never End?!

The long, empty days stretch out in front of me interminably, and I am weighed down by muggy, disgruntled boredom. I’ve tried to watch a few Playoff games here and there, but I find my mind wandering within minutes. If 5 of the guys on the court are not in Jazz unis, then it’s nothing more than ten random men running around in shorts. Meh.

–For the record, Mom is certain that Kobe kicked Yao’s foot and that’s how it broke.

4. John Stockton/Karl Malone
The No. 1 motherf*cker coach of all time, Bob Knight, once said that the greatest compliment he give a player was that he knew what he’d get from him every single day. No truer statement could have been made about Stockton or Malone.

–The team is well aware of which player is its moneymaker:

Korver was asked how he could leave a team that plastered his face on such a large billboard along 600 South to advertise playoff tickets.

“The first time I saw it, I almost wrecked and quite possibly could have killed myself,” Korver joked. “It was probably the scariest picture of me I’ve ever seen. (sltrib)

–Since it’s the offseason and real news is more rare than a Boozer block [1 to every 8 BA and/or shooting foul], Memo’s interview with Memo’s website has become the hottest news in town since Jerry’s headlining knee surgery. Therefore, I am posting the same quotes you can find on every other Jazz site right now:

As Mehmet Okur I am ready to make some sacrifices to stay here. I will not be changing teams if there is a difference of $ 3-5 million in the total worth of the new contract.

Two thoughts:
1) I like that Memo is being so forthright about what he wants. You don’t see that a lot.

2) Moneyman Memo is saying he’s willing to take less money (to a certain extent) to stay in Utah. Granted it’s not a lot (a $1- $2 million/year difference in a 3- or 4-year extension, or the straw that breaks the camel’s back if any team offers him a contract one year longer than the Jazz), but as a fan, you have to appreciate hearing that. We never really hear an NBA player, much less a Jazzman, publicly state that he is willing to take less money. Not Karl (for some reason I seem to think Stock might have said something to that extent in the past?), not DWill, and certainly not our franchise cornerstone and team leader, Carlos Boozer.

On playing for the national team:

I have been hurt by some of the things that has transpired the last few years though. I am not being used in a way that I can be a plus on the team and contribute the way I am capable of, and yet whenever something goes wrong I am the scapegoat that is put in front of the media.

There is some irony in this. Neighbors Memo and AK are in the exact opposite situations. Memo: Beloved in Utah; scapegoat in Turkey. AK: Beloved in Russia (and European MVP); scapegoat in Utah.

Memo also talked about what kind of franchise this is:

Kevin O’Connor and Jerry Sloan urged me to go [to see his ailing father in Turkey during the season]. I will never forget their support and understanding during a very tough time for me anf my family.
…
I always say that coach Sloan and coach Johnson also have had a great influence in my carrer and also in me becoming the player that I am…I have the staff to thank for [becoming an All-Star]. All of the coaches here are great, straigh forward people who don’t know how to play games. They say it to your face, and they say it directly. I like that. They are tough but they have understaing as well.

As always, I thank the Good Lord above that Phil Jackson is not our coach.